I'll Stand By You
by Jeffery Harris
Summary: Originally posted on the old TMFFA, ported over by request.


Title -- "I'll Stand By You"  
Artist -- The Pretenders

Oh, why you look so sad,  
The tears are in your eyes,  
Come on and come to me now.

And don t be ashamed to cry,  
Let me see you through,  
Cause I ve seen the dark side too.

When the night falls on you,  
You don t know what to do,  
Nothing you confess Could make me love you less.

I ll stand by you,  
I ll stand by you,  
Won t let nobody hurt you,  
I ll stand by you.

So, if you re mad, get mad;  
Don t hold it all inside,  
Come on and talk to me now.

And hey,  
What you got to hide?  
I get angry too,  
Well, I m a lot like you.

When you re standing at the crossroads And don t know which path to choose,  
Let me come along,  
Cause even if you re wrong,

I ll stand by you,  
I ll stand by you,  
Won t let nobody hurt you.  
I ll stand by you,

Take me in into your darkest hour,  
And I ll never desert you,  
I ll stand by you.

And when, when the night falls on you, baby,  
You re feeling all alone,  
You won t be on your own.

I ll stand by you,  
I ll stand by you,  
Won t let nobody hurt you.

I ll stand by you,  
Take me in into your darkest hour,  
And I ll never desert you.  
I ll stand by you.

(repeat and fade)

* * * * *

He trudged across the tarmac, alone. His shoulders slumped, his face downcast, either of which could be attributed to the clammy winds or his uncertain future. He still couldn't believe the recent turn of events.

"Tenchi Masaki, in light of your transgression, you are forthwith banished from Jurai space. A shuttle will be provided, with sufficient provisions to reach the frontier. Your station permits this over more severe penalties, but those penalties will be applied should you violate your sentence." The Supreme Magistrate's voice echoed harshly in his ears, his eyes smoldering while he read the judgement.

He had committed a crime -- a heinous infraction! -- out of sheer ignorance. Most of his family had been sympathetic, of course. Favors had been called in to ease his punishment, but the fact remained that even a member of the Royal Family was not above the law.

So here he was, beneath a cloudy sky, plodding towards an even murkier future.

Earth was denied him, as it was nestled deep within Jurai dominions, so he couldn't even go home. And what little he knew of the wider galaxy would be practically useless. The best he could hope for was that the shuttle had an Artificial Intelligence unit built into it, with a decent set of star maps and a gazetteer.

He sighed despondently.

The shuttle sat in an isolated part of the spaceport, safe from prying eyes and paparazzi. Tenchi stopped to look at it, and it suddenly dawned on him that he didn't know how to fly a spaceship. What a fitting obituary that would make: "Disinherited Prince Crashes Shuttle During Liftoff!" It might not even get that far -- he wasn't even sure he could open the airlock!

That's when he saw the airlock door iris open, and two figures stepped onto the tarmac. Lithe and feminine, dressed in traveling clothes, they stood waiting for him. Cyan and violet tresses wavered sporadically in the wind.

Tenchi approached with more than a little trepidation.

They blocked his access to the ship. There were no smiles, just an intense silence. Finally: "Take me with you," they chorused. They shared a brief, wry smile. "Take *us* with you."

"I can't."

"Why not?" they asked.

"I am disgraced and dishonored."

"Take us with you," they repeated.

"You don't know what you're saying," he told them. He turned to Ayeka: "You'll be surrendering prestige and privilege, position and power."

"But I'll have you."

To Ryoko: "You'll be an outcast again, you'll lose everything that you've worked so hard to achieve."

"But I'll have you."

"I have nothing to offer," Tenchi said. "I don't know what I'm going to do, or where I'm going to go."

"I'll do whatever you ask, without question or complaint," Ryoko said.

"I'll go wherever you want, without remonstrance or remorse," Ayeka said.

They stared at one another, voices silent but eyes speaking volumes.

"What about your duties?" Tenchi asked Ayeka. "You are a princess and heir to the throne."

"A palace is merely an empty shell, if I have an empty heart."

"What about your freedom?" Tenchi asked Ryoko. "You can no longer go wherever you want."

"There's no place worth going to, if I have to go alone."

Tenchi shook his head, shoulders slumped in despair. "I no longer have a home. I have no roots, no one to stand with me."

"I'll stand by you," they affirmed.

He wavered, torn between the desire to protect them and his desire for them. "There is a voice in my head, shouting and demanding that you remain here...that taking you along is a selfish gesture...that I am smearing my misfortune upon you." They didn't move, waiting with baited breath. "But that voice is overwhelmed by the whisper of my heart, which is grateful...and amazed by your sacrifice." They trembled, breathing again.

Tenchi opened his arms, which they leaped into.

He marvelled at the women embracing him: though so very different, both shared the same uplifted chin, the same victorious smile. Then he looked beyond them at the shuttle, and frowned. "I don't think that ship will hold all three of us."

"It doesn't need to," Ryoko replied, and pointed upwards. Approaching slowly was the living ship Ryo-ohki, drifting down like a massive snowflake. "We'll travel in style!"

"What about provisions?"

"That's been attended to," Ayeka answered. "We will lack for nothing."

Somehow, his future didn't seem so bleak any longer. Looking into their faces, he felt his own spirits rise to match their's. "You know," Tenchi said, one corner of his lips curling upwards, "maybe we should get married..."

"Was that a proposal?" Ayeka grinned.

"Sure sounded like it to me!" Ryoko laughed.

Tenchi's response was lost in the hum of the teleport beam.

Two sets of eyes watched from afar, one pink and teary, one emerald and twinkling.

"Will we ever see them again?" Sasami asked.

"Sooner than you know, Little One," Washu replied.

"But, how will we find them?"

"Both of my daughters have transponders implanted beneath their skin. So does your sister. I can track them wherever they go."

"They...they agreed to that?" Sasami asked increduously, drying her wet cheeks with a sleeve.

"Agreed to it? It was their idea!" Washu cackled.

Sasami started to giggle.

"We'll give them a few months to get settled, before we visit. If nothing else, it will give them an opportunity to really appreciate your cooking!"

* * * * * A U T H O R ' S N O T E S * * * * *

Believe it or not, the above story actually started out as wedding scenario! However, it mutated/evolved into a more somber, more poignant expression of love and devotion. I have no explanation, just an admission that these stories sometimes write themselves.

The characters of "Tenchi Muyo!" were created by Masaki Kajashima and Hiroki Hayashi, and brought to North America by Pioneer LDC. This story, while incorporating names and situations held under copyright by others, is copyright 2004 by Jeffery L. Harris.

This story comes entirely from my imagination, and is not, nor intended to be, canon. Please do not send the legions of lawyers after me...it's not worth their time, or mine.

Any questions or comments should be directed to:

Jeffery L Harris Subject: "I'll Stand By You"


End file.
